Q&A – Epstein Question... Which Federal Prisons Have the Highest Death Rates?
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Today’s entry: Why did Ghislaine not commit suicide or get murdered? Are NY prisons less or more conducive to murder or suicide for a high-profile person than Tallahassee prison?
Bottom Line: Today’s note is in response to my recent commentary pertaining to the push by some for Epstein co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell to testify before Congress – which she has said she’s willing to do. Specifically, I’ve said: The best evidence there’s ever been that Jeffrey Epstein potentially wasn’t murdered as part of a criminal coverup conspiracy, is that his literal partner in crime Ghislaine Maxwell is still with the living. In fact, there’s no doubt that she knew more about the victims than Jeffrey did day-to-day. That's worth considering if you’re on the conspiracy track but hadn’t considered that. While also suggesting... But here’s the next point as far as the potential for Maxwell testimony goes. Would it even matter? As in, would either side (those who believe the DOJ, and those who think it’s a conspiracy) trust what Maxwell would have to say?
With that said, for those who do believe that Epstein was murdered, could it be the case that perhaps Maxwell is simply in a more secure facility – one that’s thwarted assassination attempts? Let's break this down...starting with suicides.
The overall rate of suicides among the general population is 17.26 per 100,000 people. For the federal prison population, the rate is 19.01 per 100,000 people. Or in other words, the average suicide rate for federal prisoners is right at 10% higher than that of the general population. This means it's more likely for convicts to commit suicide than society at large – not less. This indicates that generally speaking, the security of federal prisons doesn’t serve as a strong or effective deterrent for those bent on suicide. With that said, let’s specifically look at the suicide rate of the Metropolitan Correctional Center – the New York prison Jeffrey Epstein was held in.
Suicides are extremely rare in the Metro Correctional Center. In fact, his suicide was the first recorded at that facility in 21 years – when it was said to have happened in 2019. To put an overall rate to it for comparative purposes. The historical suicide rate of that prison is 6.7 per 100,000, or a number that is nearly 3x lower than the average federal prison. This suggests that it is far less likely for a successful suicide in this location – which could aid the conspiracy argument. As for homicides...
Homicide rates for federal prisons during the recent period covering 2019 totaled 6.4 per 100,000 in the prison population. The homicide rate in the general population in 2019 totaled 4.57. Btw, as an aside that’s climbed to 6.8 most recently – on the back of the surge in illegal immigration under the Biden administration! As I’ve previously illustrated, the increase in homicides by non-citizens rose by 967% during the four years of the Biden administration. Anyway, what this shows is that at the time of Jeffrey Epstein’s death, a federal prisoner was 42% more likely to be murdered than the average citizen. Now, of course we’re almost exclusively talking about other inmates being responsible for the homicides – which is of course not the dynamic in question in Epstein's case. So how does all of this compare to where Ghislane Maxwell is currently serving her 20-year sentence in Tallahassee?
Ghislaine Maxwell is in the Federal Correctional Institution, or FCI of Tallahassee. Notably, as we’re talking about the opportunity for a would-be assassin to carry out an attempt in the facility, it’s a low-security federal prison for women. This stands in stark contrast to the maximum-security prison in New York Jeffrey Epstein was housed in. Here’s the difference in security protocols between the two facilities...
Maximum Security:
- High perimeter security with double fences, razor wire, and armed guard towers.
- Extensive use of surveillance, including cameras and motion detectors.
- Controlled movement with frequent inmate counts and strict schedules.
- Heavy use of solitary confinement or special housing units (SHUs) for high-risk inmates.
- Higher staff-to-inmate ratios, with specialized training for managing dangerous inmates.
Low Security:
- Minimal perimeter security, often with a single fence or no fence (e.g., federal prison camps).
- Limited use of surveillance; more relaxed movement within the facility.
- Dormitory-style or shared housing rather than individual cells.
- Emphasis on rehabilitation programs like education, vocational training, or work assignments.
- Lower staff-to-inmate ratios, with less intensive monitoring.
The bottom line is that if someone was able to get to Epstein in a maximum-security facility – and get away undetected – there surely would have been a way to get to Maxwell as well. What’s more – and this is a dynamic I talked to my wife Ashley about recently – it's not just Maxwell – but Alan Dershowitz who would know where all of the skeletons are buried too.
None of this information automatically means there isn’t a conspiracy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s death; however, it strongly suggests there isn’t likely to be one.